I chose to focus on assistive technology for people with speech impairments because of its prevalence among children. “Approximately 20% of children receiving special education services are receiving services for speech and language disorders. This estimate does not include children who receive services for speech and language disorders that are secondary to other conditions such as deafness. More than one-half (55.2%) of all 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds with a disability receive speech and language services” (Project IDEAL, 2008).
One helpful piece of assistive technology for people with speech impairments which I thought could be very useful for children are communication boards. They are a simple way for children to communicate their needs and build vocabulary by using any combination of photographs, symbols, words, or phrases. The non-electronic models are one of the most basic augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) devices available. In terms of the electronic models available, they vary from “very simple devices with few buttons (such as the Cheap Talk) to very elaborate systems that use a keyboard and synthesized speech (such as the Dyna Vox and Liberator)” (Project IDEAL 2008).
In order to keep up with all of the assistive technology and address the needs of my special education students, I will need to recognize my available resources. Speech-language pathologists are an invaluable asset to me as a future educator. Collaboration with them will offer professional services which meet the specific needs of children with speech impairments. With this, I can become knowledgeable of corrective measures, speech and languages exercises, and give effective feedback to my students. Some services offered by speech-language pathologists include: “helping children with articulation disorders to learn proper production of speech sounds/ helping children who stutter to speak more fluently/ assisting children with voice disorders to improve their voice quality/ helping individuals with aphasia to relearn speech and language skills/ assisting individuals who have difficulty swallowing as a result of illness, surgery, stroke or injury/ evaluating, selecting, and developing augmentative and alternative communication systems/ enhancing communication effectiveness” (Project IDEAL, 2008).
As I become an elementary school teacher, I need to be aware of how important language and communication skills in terms of a child’s future development. I will incorporate this awareness into my teaching by having a strong literacy focus in my curriculum, regardless of the age group. I recognize that language development begins at birth and that at a young age; I need to reach out to families and encourage them to have quality interactions with their children. Whether it’s reading a book together or just listening to a child jabber on about the day, building a foundation for strong oral communication needs to be valued in the home as well as in the classroom. I also know that the child’s brain is incredibly malleable in the early years. This means that the sooner we become aware of possible speech impairments, the easier it will be to correct the problem.
Image retrieved on June 27, 2011 from http://medt3401.blogspot.com/2010/11/communication-boards.html
References:
Assistive Technology Partnership. (2008). Definitions and legal requirements. Accessed on June 27, 2011 from http://www.atp.ne.gov/techassist/def-legal.html
Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities: Project IDEAL. (2008). Speech and language impairments. Accessed on June 27, 2011 from http://www.projectidealonline.org/speechLanguageImpairments.php
University of Washington: AccessIT. (2011). What is assistive technology? Accessed on June 27, 2011 from http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?109
I really like how you focused in on speech impairments in your blog post. It is such a large topic and I think it was great that you narrowed in on one topic.
ReplyDeleteI think that you are absolutely correct when you say that teachers need to be aware of the resources available for special needs students. Not only do they make a teacher's job easier, but the can open up a whole new world for the student.
ReplyDeleteI loved that you showed how much an improvement these students show by using these technologies. A lot of them would be lost without them and it would be much more difficult for the teacher. You did a great job of explaining these technologies and showing the importance of them.
ReplyDeleteSpeech impairments use a lot of assistive technologies. There was a boy that I went to high school with who used a more complex means of communicating, but it was similar to the picture you have.
ReplyDeleteThis is great Ariel! I love how you have stats in there to really give us an idea of how important it is, and how prevalent some of these disabilities are! It is great that we can learn about some of these things now before we begin teaching!
ReplyDeleteI remember experience with speech impairments tool once when I was taking ASL class. The teacher show it to us and have us experience it and see how we think. I like and I think its helpful for many things and makes things easy for people who needed.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you mentioned the importance of language and expression development for children. I completely agree that one of the largest jobs of teachers is to communicate with not only the students but also the parents and other school community members. Communication is the structure that holds up a relationship and in the education community, relationships are key.
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